Maxell Award Winner - 2016

Excellence in Entrepreneurship

Hanmant R. Gaikwad Founder-Chairman & Managing Director, Bharat Vikas Group India Ltd.
Mr. Hanmant Gaikwad is one of those few success stories that never fail to inspire. He has made the impressive transition from being an engineer with zero bank balance to being the head of a Rs.300crore facility management firm with operations across India. His company BVG has a diverse portfolio of services, which includes housekeeping for the Parliament, Prime Minister's Residence, Rashtrapati Bhavan and the Supreme Court of India. BVG's business milestones include the successful relocation of the entire facilities of Fiat and Tata Nano. BVG has also implemented and manages the 108 toll-free Emergency Response Service for Maharashtra State Government and the Dial-100 Emergency Police Response Service for Madhya Pradesh Government. BVG also matches pace with the world in eco-friendly solutions with diversification into green fuel (from waste plastic), solar pump controllers and LED lights.

Excellence in Business Leadership

Ashish Saraf
VP-Industry Development, Strategic Partnerships & Offsets, Airbus Group India
Mr Ashish Saraf is changing the way the world sees India's manufacturing capabilities. At Airbus Group India he is driving the company's "Make In India" initiatives across all its 3 divisions (Airbus Helicopters, Airbus and Airbus Defence & Space). Prior to that, in his assignment as head of Tata-Sikorsky joint venture at Hyderabad, he oversaw the production and delivery of cabins for S-92 helicopters for the US's top manufacturer United Technologies. In both his assignments, he demonstrated that when it comes to producing critical equipment, India is second to none. Both Tata-Sikorsky and Airbus would augment India's manufacturing capabilities, leading to significant savings in import dollars, especially of defence equipment. He began his career with the world's leading consultancies Dassault Systemes and Deliotte Consulting where he planning and transformation projects for global clients: GE, Lockheed Martin, Bell Helicopter, Spirit Aerosystems, Applied Material and Target Corp.

Excellence in Innovation

Srikrishna Bhargav Karkare and Alka Srikrishna Karkare
Managing Director and Director - Enpro Industries Pvt.Ltd.
Sometimes individual action can change the way industries do business. Mr Srikrishna Karkare and Alka Karkare offer us the perfect such example. Their innovation of skid-mounted modular piping systems introduced a 'Plug & Play' simplicity to the highly demanding and complex industries of petrochemical, power, fertilizer, paper and steel. The 'Enpro' modular systems also offered the more important benefits of ensuring superior quality and a significantly reduced manufacturing cost. The modular piping systems weren't the only breakthroughs. The Karkare couple also reconfigured their knowledge management systems incorporating innovation which transformed their own business processes and winning loyal customers that include world leaders GE, Siemens, Hitachi, Mitsubishi, Ebara and Toshiba. Enpro is also known to maintain the highest in Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) parameters. The Enpro factory at Markal is built on 5,00,000 sq.ft. of land with a workshop covering 1,25,000 sq.ft. and has over 400 employees. Its revenues of over Rs.2.5 Billion and a conservative valuation at approx. Rs.3bn are truly indicative of the power of innovation, especially when you consider the couple began business with zero capital.

Special Recognition

Dr. Swati Majumdar
Director, Symbiosis Centre for Distancxe Learning; Vice President, Symbiosis Foundation; Principal Director, Symbiosis Open Education Society
Distance is no longer an obstacle for lakhs of vocational students in India and abroad. Dr Swati Majumdar Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learning (SCDL) has erased the borders and empowered vocational aspirants with training in skills that help them to build their future. She is also the founder of India's first residential skill development university SYMBIOSIS University of Applied Sciences, Indore as well as Symbiosis Skills & Open University, Pune. These institutions are a culmination of a decade-long research in the field which also earned her a doctorate. She incorporated innovative ICT solutions in the delivery of the skills education model taking it into the remotest part of rural India. Her efforts and vision are in line with the nation's 'Make In India' program as they provide a much larger pool of skilled personnel that industries can employ.
She has also chaired the Vocational Education & Skill Development Committee of the Govt. of Maharashtra and is a member of the Governing Council of the Maharashtra State Board of Technical Education.

Maxell Special Recognition

Marathwada Auto Cluster
Marathwada Auto Cluster (MAC) is a self-sustainable industrial infrastructure support system. It provides services and also creates a pool of skilled technicians and other workers that industries can access to meet their operational needs. The organization was set up by like-minded industrialists who shared a vision to improve the industrial ecosystem in Marathwada region. MAC provides a host of services and facilities that industries require: Rapid Prototyping, Laser cutting, Cutting slitting line, Auto Blanking, Standards Room consisting of CMM and other critical Measuring Machines. Its skills development initiatives comprise imparting employable skills training for school dropouts, industry relevant skill in engineering software, teaching faculty development and technical training for operators, supervisors and middle management personnel. MAC's impact can is felt by a large spectrum of industries through faster product development, improved manufacturing process and enhanced quality of products.

Maxell Startup Award

Makarand PatilConsulting Director, Big Business Advisors Pvt.Ltd.
A downturn such as the one the world experienced in 2008, can hardly be considered an auspicious time to launch a start-up. But for Mr. Makaranbd Patil, it was more than that. It offered the perfect setting for Big Business Advisors Pvt. Ltd. to transition from plan to practical reality. He had the road-map, not just for himself but for other businesses too. He began by reaching out to companies hit by the recession, offering ideas and solutions on restructuring, cost cutting, etc. Advancing from there he reached out to small and medium sized organizations, offering them the entire road-map from concept to commissioning. It proved to be a fail-proof formula, bringing growth and clients from around the world. Today, he has offices in Mumbai, Dubai, Singapore, Ghana and Spain with clientele that includes Maharashtra the Abu Dhabi government. His business expanded also with strategic joint ventures and investment in diverse industries.

Maxell Startup Award

Sachin Teke
Developer, M-Indicator app., Founder, MoBond Software Consultancy Services
The hugely popular M-Indicator mobile application proves how a breakthrough idea can come even in the most unlikely circumstances. The idea struck its young developer Mr. Sachin Teke on one of his daily commutes in the cramping confines of Mumbai local trains. It was his sincere wish to assist the 1 crore commuters like him who take the train daily to work or to study. But this app revealed its true potential as other organizations began to associate with it: the Indian Railways, later the BEST Bus service, vendors and associated services along the route that brought advertising revenue. Its growth and popularity prompted him to quit his job as an engineer at mobile software maker Geodesic. M-Indicator also brought him a string of well-deserved awards.

MAXELL Lifetime Achievement Award

Badrinarayan Ramulal Barwale
Founder –Chairman, Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Co. (MahyCo)
Mr Barwale is one of the most eminent names in the domain of agricultural-entrepreneurism in India. He is known as the man who single-handedly started a revolution by introducing high-yield seed to farmers. His work resulted in establishing a private sector seed industry with the required infrastructure for nation-wide distribution of hybrid seed. It helped in greatly improving the quality and quantity of food crop besides generating employment opportunities for both men and women in rural areas. More importantly, his work proved to be instrumental in the delivery of the Green Revolution. The accomplishment earned him the World Food Prize, considered the Nobel equivalent for food. His organization Mahyco has also established a Research Foundation that has made a 3-year $100mn grant to ICAR to support its crop research program. Efforts are being made to replicate the Barwale model in Africa, a country that is now facing challenges in its agricultural sector. Mr Barwale also works for society through his philanthropic endeavours like Ganapati Nethralaya which provides free or subsidized eye-care to the rural poor.